Didi Benami | Crystal Bowersox | Lacey Brown | Michelle Delamor
Lee Dewyze | Katelyn Epperly | Andrew Garcia | Tyler Grady
Todrick Hall | Casey James | Aaron Kelly | Alex Lambert
Michael Lynche | Siobhan Magnus | Paige Miles | Joe Muñoz
John Park | Ashley Rodriguez | Lilly Scott | Jermaine Sellers
Katie Stevens | Tim Urban | Haeley Vaughn | Janell Wheeler
It might be said that the landscape-altering changes of last season portended the imminent demise of American Idol, changes that included: the addition of fourth judge Kara DioGuardi; the eventual parting of ways with Paula Abdul; the seemingly arbitrary scrambling of protocol—i.e., a Top 36 (as opposed to a Top 24) and the Judges’ Save; and most importantly, Adam Lambert, a singer who forever changed what an American Idol contestant could be, should be, was, is.
[popup url=”http://assets.longislandpress.com/photos/gallery.php?gazpart=view&gazimage=1063″]Click here to view photos of the Top 24 from American Idol Season 9[/popup]
Those changes, though, foreshadowed others: The addition of a new judge, Ellen DeGeneres, a comedian and television personality, not a music industry professional; and the announcement that following this season, the show’s ninth, the very face of Idol will walk away. And once Simon Cowell is gone, it’s fair to wonder if Idol—still the most popular, most watched, most talked-about, most universally recognized show in this country and perhaps the world—will be soon to follow.
All of these factors make this season worth watching. Closely. Because for once, we truly don’t know what will occur.
As far as the contestants are concerned, Adam Lambert has, in fact, changed the game. No more can judges or voters be satisfied with limp reproductions of Motown classics. No more can singers expect that singing alone will win the day, much less the crown. In a post-Adam Idol, it is necessary to be exciting. To be dynamic. To be an artist.
As far as the judges are concerned, all bets are off. Surely Fox will give less face time to Simon, because the network must do all it can do to save the show—a money-minting factory that threatens to collapse on itself—and to do so, it must minimize Simon, and maximize Ellen and Kara and (God help us) Randy Jackson. And Ellen and Kara, in particular, mark a much different set of priorities than any we have seen in Idol seasons past. Kara proved last season—and throughout her impressive career as a songwriter and producer—that she is a shrewd judge of not just talent, but marketability. Paula, on the other hand, simply seemed like a crazy, inappropriate old aunt who showered the kids with praise and occasionally fell out of her dress. And where Paula was…less than lucid, at times, Ellen is stone-cold sober, a sharp wit who can keep Simon on the defensive.
And as the chemistry is altered, so too is the talent on display. Idol Season 9 features a cast of new voices, many of whom would never have been seen before on Idol. Heck, many of these kids probably would never have even auditioned for Idol before now. But Adam changed that. Well, Adam and everything surrounding Adam, including a music industry that has lost its ability to mine traditional revenue streams and is still unsure how to find new ones. And with the inexorable demises of MTV and radio, primetime television has become the primary source of breaking new artists. And nowhere can new artists be better broken than Idol.
Still.
For the moment.
So to untangle the many wires and knots of this Idol season, we present to you this voters guide. With a talent pool this diverse, viewers will find many contestants worth voting for, many contestants who fall into each viewer’s particular niche. So before you hitch your wagons to a losing horse, we suggest you read thoroughly what is to follow. Without further ado, we bring you a guide to the candidates of Idol 2010. See you on the campaign trail.
And now…your American Idol 2010 Top 24!
At press time, the first round of eliminations has not yet been televised; however, by the evening of Thursday, Feb. 25, Idol 2010 will be four contestants lighter. Indeed at this moment, we have not seen a single performance on which voters can vote, so this is purely pre-season speculation. That said, here goes: Our bets for the first cuts of the season are Paige Miles, Michelle Delamor, Joe Muñoz and Tim Urban. If we’re right, you owe us a beer.